Increase Hope, Think about what you need most, and then do it. Is it a cup of tea, a brisk walk, some downtime, quiet music, a little rest, or reading inspirational literature?

Whatever it is, grant yourself permission to do it, even for just a few minutes. If you're at work, take a "care-break" where you take care of you for a brief moment. These small moments accumulate and transform the texture of our days.

Much of what you experience in life can feel more stressful or less so depending of your point of view. Looking at things from an optimistic frame of mind can not only decrease your stress level, but bring you more success in life and more. You can become more of an optimist by following these tips. You can even change ingrained negative thought patterns to more positive ones by using positive affirmations.

•Make a conscious effort to replace your negative thoughts and actions with positive ones. Instead of looking at a task and saying, “It’s impossible,” just commit to doing it and enjoying the challenge of a job well done. Instead of viewing an illness as “proof” of how hopeless your life is, look at it as your body’s way of telling you that something needs to change, and then work on changing it.Every hardship, every seemingly impossible thing is actually a brilliant opportunity for you to show just how far you can push yourself to accomplish your goals. Expect some curveballs along the way and accept that they are an inevitable part of life.

Whatever comes your way, exude positive energies to those around you, and it will be reflected back to you!

•Creating optimism depends on our own efforts. We cannot count on other people such as our spouses, parents, or close friends to make this positive attitude well up inside us. If we do that, we are turning our lives over to others and putting our own happiness at the mercy of someone else.

Creating optimism means learning to look inside ourselves for that joyful energy that we have only allowed ourselves to experience once in a while. It means learning how to access that without having to wait for a wedding or a new promotion or a lucky lottery ticket. We make the decision to become the creators of our own happiness by directly accessing the source of that happiness that lies inside of each of us. This only becomes possible, however, by first looking at the negative thoughts and feeling that are blocking this energy from coming to the surface. The more we examine our own thoughts and emotions, the more we begin to see how our minds function and we slowly become the experts at accessing the joy within.

"Begin challenging your own assumptions. Your assumptions are your windows on the world. Scrub them off every once in awhile, or the light won't come in." ~Alan Alda

Perspective is simply a viewpoint or a way of looking at things. The area of perspective is so important in self-growth and development because as we know, how we look at things is what determines our experience! We are often stuck with perspectives and belief systems that we think are a concrete part of us never to be changed. This could be not be further from the truth, if one is willing to change and at least look at other and different perspectives. Limited perspectives keep us from getting what we want. They stop us from getting different results not matter how hard we try.

Ques:If you were your own coach, what coaching would you give yourself right now?

Think of yourself as on the threshold of unparalleled success. A whole, clear, glorious life lies before you. Achieve! Achieve!Andrew Carnegie

Even if I knew that tomorrow the world would go to pieces, I would still plant my apple tree.Martin Luther

Success is 99% failure.Soichiro Honda

Genius is one percent inspiration, and ninety-nine percent perspiration.Thomas Edison

When you are asked if you can do a job, tell 'em, 'Certainly I can!'Then get busy and find out how to do it.Theodore Roosevelt

Reflect upon your present blessings, of which every man has many -- not on your past misfortunes, of which all men have some.Charles Dickens

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbour. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.Mark Twain

The essence of optimism is that it takes no account of the present, but it is a source of inspiration, of vitality and hope where others have resigned; it enables a man to hold his head high, to claim the future for himself and not to abandon it to his enemy.Dietrich Bonhoeffer

The man who acquires the ability to take full possession of his own mind may take possession of anything else to which he is justly entitled.Andrew Carnegie

In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity.Albert Einstein

Nurture your mind with great thoughts;to believe in the heroic makes heroes.Benjamin Disraeli

All who have accomplished great things have had a great aim, have fixed their gaze on a goal which was high, one which sometimes seemed impossible.Orison Swett Marden

Act as if it were impossible to fail.Dorothy Broude

Do not follow where the path may lead. Go, instead, where there is no path and leave a trail.Ralph Waldo Emerson

Don’t judge each day by the harvest you reap, but by the seeds you plant.Robert Louis Stevenson

Always look at what you have left. Never look at what you have lost.Robert H. Schuller

Throw back the shoulders, let the heart sing, let the eyes flash, let the mind be lifted up, look upward and say to yourself ...nothing is impossible!Norman Vincent Peale

Everyone experiences change--it may be a job change, relationship change, health change, or a change you've initiated that suddenly seems daunting. If you find change difficult, you're not alone. Many people think change is hard. But it's possible for the change you're going through to be easier, smoother, and less stressful--you can find the positive in transitions and learn to love your life more... you can become a Change Optimist.
Remember That Change Happens to Us All

Change happens every day, to everyone; it's the one constant in life, the thing that connects us all. And whether life has thrown a change at you or you've sought one out, it's natural to find it difficult.

But I believe change is positive, that anyone can change (you're never too old or too young), and there are always ways to make change easier. It's time to learn one of life's most important skills: how to navigate change!
From Every Change Something Good Will Come

People who are good at change always focus on the positive that will inevitably come from any transition. The gift that comes from change may not be related to what you're currently going through. For example, you may lose your job but find yourself in a rewarding new relationship that you wouldn't have had time to pursue.

Change may lead you to new people, help you develop a stronger faith and belief in yourself, give you new opportunities, or inspire you to live a healthier life. It's important to be on the lookout for good changes, and not necessarily where you expect to find them!
Your Beliefs about Change Are Your Foundation

What you think about change will have a direct effect on how easy or hard you find the process. If you believe that change is difficult and terrible, then you will probably have a difficult and terrible time. But if you believe that change exists to teach you something--to make you a better person and put you on a new path--the transition will not be so daunting. Identify your beliefs--what you think and say to yourself and others during change--and turn them around.

For example, if you are having financial trouble, you may think "I am incapable of managing money." Or if you're going through a difficult break-up, you may believe "I am unlovable." But you can trade these disempowering beliefs--and their accompanying negativity and complaining--for thoughts that will give you strength and hope.

Get Unstuck with the Change GPS

Because of emotions brought up by change, it's easy to get stuck in the past and to lose your ability to move forward. You may feel trapped by these Change Demons, but you can get unstuck by turning on your Change GPS! A GPS navigator only asks two questions: "Where are you now?" and "Where do you want to go?" Your Change GPS helps you move through transitions by alerting you if you're off-course and encouraging you to focus on your final destination.

If you're hoping to lose weight, for example, be honest about where you stand today (how much you need to lose and the most realistic approach), then create a plan and stick to it. The GPS won't tell you what you did wrong yesterday or what you could have done differently; it simply keeps you moving along the path to your ultimate goal.

Turn to Your Change Support Team

It's normal to feel isolated during change. We often think what we are facing is so unique that no one else can help or understand us. But change is easier when you let other people in. Whatever the situation, there is always, always, someone who can help.

One of the quickest ways to embrace change and move through it is to surround yourself with a team of supportive people. They can be family, friends, clergy members, therapists, co-workers--or anyone else who might help you through a change. These people are there to listen, support, and encourage you. They believe you can change, they want you to change, and most importantly, they will keep you on a path of hope and optimism as you move through the transition.
Change Demons Are a Healthy Part of Change

Change Demons are disempowering feelings that arise during any change. These emotions--fear, doubt, impatience, shame, blame, and guilt--can wreak havoc with your self-esteem and destroy hope. But they also remind you how you don't want to feel during change so you can return to how you do want to feel.

When Change Demons visit, remember: 1) they are temporary; 2) they encourage you to make a choice--you can choose to feel better or worse than the emotion you are currently experiencing; and 3) they can be replaced with better, brighter emotions that will help you move through change with ease and grace. Faith, patience, endurance, and honesty are some positive emotions that can replace Change Demons.
Use Your Spiritual Strength

When everything is changing, it's important to find the part of yourself that doesn't change--your calm, centered, spiritual side, your higher self. It's the part that's connected to something greater and uses your intuition as a guide. You need to reconnect to it through prayer, meditation, nature, silence, or journaling...anything that helps you go back inside, where your true spirit and power reside.

While your lower self may slip into self-pity and hold grudges, your higher self doesn't allow you to become a victim, to blame someone else when things get difficult, or to get lost in anger. This side helps you shine in strength, compassion, and clarity. During change, make an effort to act from your higher self and ask: "What would the better, wiser, calmer part of me do or say or think right now?"
You Have a Change Muscle

Everyone is born with a will to survive, get better, and be happier--I call this the Change Muscle. It helps you accept the reality of your situation and find your center again. Every time you are faced with a change and move through it, you are activating that muscle. And once you flex it, it's strengthened for life--you can never lose all that you have gained from experience. Next time you're faced with transition, remember that your Change Muscle will give you the strength to get through it.

Accept Change

When change happens, you often look longingly back to what used to be. You don't like where the river of life seems to be taking you, so you cling to the rocks or row vigorously upstream--that's what makes change tough! Accept change by taking in your new circumstances without fighting, arguing, explaining, or asking "What if?" It may be difficult at first, but you will soon see that life will lead you through this change and into a place of greater happiness and peace.

Go in the direction that life is taking you. If it's a divorce, accept it; if it's a health diagnosis, accept it--only then can you focus on re-aligning yourself with a plan and an optimistic view that focuses on the future, not the past.
Take Action

People who are good at change stop talking and take positive action. Whether life has thrown you a change or you want to make a shift, get a journal and start writing down your feelings. Then make a plan that feels right and is realistic and hopeful. Next, start moving physically. Getting some form of exercise is an absolute must when going through change--don't forget the S.E.E.D of all change. (Sleep, Eat Well, Exercise, and Drink Water).

Doing something for someone else--helping a neighbor, calling a lonely friend, spending extra time with your child--will also help to keep you moving forward during change. You can also try something brand new--a new route home, a new class at the gym, a new restaurant, to get things flowing. During transitions it's also helpful to create a "wall of change" with images of what you want to shift and work towards.